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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Isabella, the Greensboro Science Center’s rare and endangered Javan gibbon, has given birth to a baby boy named Duke.

Staff officials said Duke was born on April 29 and is receiving special care to make sure he stays healthy.

Staff said he was found lying without his mother inside the facility’s centerpiece gibbon habitat. They said it is not uncommon for a gibbon mother to abandon her first child.

Officials said the facility’s trained staff revived the baby and are working to make sure Duke has the best chance for survival.

They described the primate as “stable and thriving” and said they are optimistic about his future. Staff members care for him in ways including feeding him and making sure he has the proper medication.

Officials said Duke is an “amazing infant ambassador for an entire Javan gibbon species on the brink of extinction.”

The center said they want to eventually introduce Duke to his parents again, but it remains a long road ahead to determine his fate.

“Nothing in nature is about fairness. It is about survival,” said GSC Director Glenn Dobrogosz, in a statement. “Duke, and hopefully his species, will have a fighting chance thanks to keepers, curators and wildlife biologists who dedicate their lives to preserving and protecting our world’s wild things and wild places.”